exalted creatures of the wyld bonus material - copy

1THE REST OF THE CREATURES

CHAPTER ONE

THE NORTH

APHELIOTROPEDescription: When the Usurpation came, only a

handful of Solar Exalted survived the first Dragon-Blooded attacks. Among those remnants was DeratKhan, a mighty Dawn Caste general who managed toescape into the wilds of the frigid North just ahead of anexpeditionary force of Terrestrial Exalted that had servedunder his command. After many weeks of pursuit, he wastrapped by several dozen of them. Derat slew all of hisattackers save one, but that last Dragon-Bloods bladefound his heart. Derat killed his murderer and felt his lifebegin to slip quickly away.

Facing certain death, Derat mourned his failure todestroy his betrayers and began to hate the UnconqueredSun for turning his back on the Solar Exalted. Had he not

been a loyal servant? Had he not slain thousands in hisgods name?

Derat was ancient, even by the reckoning of theSolar Exalted, and he was well versed in sorcery. Withhis last breaths, he uttered spells that brought a demonof the Second Circle to him, a fragment of a mightyPrince of Malfeas. Just as Derat was about to expire, thedemon reached out and held the Solars soul in place.

Haughty Derat was proud even on the knifes edgeof death. He offered up his soul in exchange for a fewmore years of life. The demon laughed Derats soulwas of no value to the Demon Princes. He was a Chosenof the Unconquered Sun, beyond their reach withoutthe aid of ancient pacts found in texts yet to be written.Derat spat. The Unconquered Sun had turned his backon Derat Khan, and Derat despised him. The demon

Apheliotrope Ice Fisher Shard Bat

EXALTED CREATURES OF THE WYLD

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grinned as Derat offered to renounce the UnconqueredSun, to deny everything he had done for the Realm andto turn on that which he had fought for his entire life.

The demon said that such a renunciation would do.The Yozi would appreciate a soul freely given and steepedin the power of a betrayal of the Unconquered Sun. Andso, on the edge of the world, caught in the breath betweenlife and death, DeratKhan cursed his god andhis lifes work and sworeby ancient and evil pow-ers to spend whatevertime he purchased forhimself working to de-stroy his enemies and thewhole of Creation. Andwith a whisper, the bar-gain was sealed.

Newly reborn indarkness, Derat wasstrategist enough toknow that that thehandful of years allot-ted to him would not beenough to avenge him-self upon theDragon-Blooded. So, he plunged deeper into the wastesof the North, eventually finding a network of caves ina range of hills in which to hide himself. He began towork toward a greater plan, a legacy that would survivelong past his own demise and one that, if ever com-pleted, would destroy not just the Dragon-Blooded, butCreation itself.

The dark general began to summon neomah, de-mon-courtesans, and to breed with them, creating infernaloffspring. By virtue of his Essence, these byblows werestronger than normal humans, manifesting the spiritualpower of both parents and the physical prowess of theirfather. In addition, each of them bore the curse of DeratKhan no sunlight would touch them, and they walkedin shadow, no matter how great the light of the sun shoneupon them. The strongest of these beings, which Deratnamed apheliotropes, were taught how to fight, whilethe rest gathered slaves in order to hollow out a cityunder the frozen mountains. Soon a small civilizationprospered under the earth, in tunnels carved out by theKhans lesser offspring. Every cornice, tile and arch wascovered with sigils praising the Yozi and blasphemingthe Celestial Bureaucracy and the Unconquered Sun.The apheliotropes called this refuge Kerzt Derat, thefortress of Derat Khan, and began to refer to themselvesas the Shrouded Ones.

After his time was finished, Derat passed away intoeternal torment at the hands of his new masters, perhapscontent that his far-sighted plans had been set in mo-

tion. Without a human agency to guide them, Deratsmore powerful offspring soon devoured their slaves andgave in to their infernal nature. There were enough ofthem three dozen or more to breed with oneanother and start a population beneath Kerzt Derat.They raided nearby human settlements, mainly thosearound the White Sea, although on a few infamous

occasions their war-par-ties took captives fromas far away asGethamane. Some ofthe more conservativeShrouded Ones stillpursued Derat Khansancient plan, but tomost of them, it was amere legend, a proph-ecy speaking of a daythat would never come.

All of thatchanged six centuriesago. After a dozen raidsby the Shrouded Oneson the feathersteelmines of Bagrash Kl,the sorcerer raised a

force to destroy the raiders. His magnificent armytracked a Shrouded One raiding party back to KerztDerat, deep within the bowels of the earth. Even themost powerful of the apheliotropes could not withstandhis Dragon-Blooded and demon officers and the powerof the Eye, and so, the few who survived the assault onKerzt Derat fled their ancient home. To the elders of theapheliotropes who had pursued Derat Khans plans assome kind of holy mission, this exodus was deemed apunishment from their long-dead patriarch. They vowedto return to Kerzt Derat one day, and that day wouldonly come when they finally completed the ancientmachinations of Derat Khan.

The faith of the apheliotropes had been tested andfound wanting.

Now, the Shrouded Ones have spread throughoutthe North. Scattered as they are, the wisest among themrealize that their race is dying out and has only decadesleft, perhaps a century at most. Some of the more cun-ning apheliotropes have used their powers and knowledgeof ancient lore to become advisors to local rulers, whilethe strongest have formed war bands to raid settlementsfor slaves and trade goods. Others of their kind stalk theunwary as fodder with which to enact dark rites in whichthe Shrouded Ones conjure up demons and elementalsfor the purpose of furthering the enigmatic final revengeof Derat Khan. Their recent efforts have brought therenewed attention of their Haslanti persecutors anddrawn the interest of the icewalker bands led by the


mysterious Bull of the North, but the apheliotropes arewise enough to avoid presenting as large a target as theydid at Kerzt Derat. A few of the braver Shrouded Oneshave even begun to attack isolated members of theicewalkers. No matter where the apheliotropes findthemselves in the Age of Sorrows, they have cast them-selves as the adversaries of all that is bound to the light.

The Shrouded Ones appear as normal humanswreathed in hazy shadow, an effect they refer to as theebon curtain. Since this makes their true naturereadily apparent during the daylight hours, they tend tolimit their movements to the evening or to days whenclouds create overcast conditions. Many of theapheliotropes still bear some sign of their demonicheritage, be it horns, strangely shaped eyes or animalis-tic extremities. Physically, they are stronger and morevital than the average man or woman and far moreprone to emotional outbursts of savagery and vendettas.Perhaps due to their heritage, they are able to masterthe Terrestrial Circle of magic, and some of them arededicated and potent sorcerers.

Survival of the fittest and the most cunning formsthe basis for apheliotropic society and personal interac-tion. They share an upbringing in which abuse is commonand discipline is essential, and their personalities areshaped by a religion in which the sun that brings life tothe rest of the world is viewed as a horrific evil and amortal enemy. They despise the masses of humanity anddesire nothing more than to spend the remaining yearsbefore their species dies out bringing down human civi-lization. Even those who have hidden themselves inmortal governments work quietly to corrupt and destroythe societies around them.

Attributes: Strength 4, Dexterity 3, Stamina 4, Cha-risma 3, Manipulation 3, Appearance 3, Perception 3,Intelligence 3, Wits 3Virtues: Compassion 2, Conviction 3, Temperance 2,Valor 3Abilities: Athletics 3, Awareness 2, Brawl 3, Dodge 4,Larceny 3, Linguistics (Native: Old Realm; High Realm,Skytongue) 2, Lore 3, Medicine 1 (Torture +2), Melee 4,Occult 4, Presence 2, Socialize 3, Stealth 4Backgrounds: Allies (Northern Personages) 2, Artifact1, Contacts 3, Followers 3, Resources 3Supernatural Powers: The Ebon CurtainBase Initiative: 6Attack:Punch: Speed 6 Accuracy 6 Damage 4B Defense 6Kick: Speed 3 Accuracy 5 Damage 6B Defense 5Chopping Sword: Speed 6 Accuracy 8 Damage 8LDefense 7Dodge Pool: 7 Soak: 8L/11B (Chain hauberk,6L/7B)Willpower: 6 Health Levels: -0/-1/-1/-1/-1/-2/-2/-4/IncapEssence: 1 Essence Pool: 22Other Notes: Apheliotropes with sufficient training arecapable of learning Terrestrial Circle Sorcery. Any sor-cerer worth his salt among them knows how to summona Demon of the First Circle, and most know the art ofcreating an Impenetrable Frost Barrier. Many will haveadditional spells at their disposal, gathered from cap-tured lore or taught to them by others of their kind.Some apheliotropes may bear one or more signs of theirdemonic heritage. To simulate such Shrouded Ones,give them one or more Wyld mutations (see Exalted, p.280-281 and Exalted: The Lunars, p. 208-222).

THE EBON CURTAINCost: 10 motes (see below)The true sign of the apheliotropes curse is

the permanent pool of shadow that surroundsthem during daylight hours, for sunlight will nottouch their blighted skin. The Shrouded Onescan expand the curtain so that it truly envelopstheir features and actions, even during the eveninghours when their skin will allow the touch ofmoon or torchlight. For a cost of 10 motes ofEssence, the Shrouded Ones can gain bonus diceto their Stealth equal to twice their permanentEssence as a reflexive action. This effect lasts forone scene. This effect offers no protection againstthe Charms of the Solar Exalted.

THE REVENGE OF DERAT KHANWhat is the revenge of Derat Khan? It is

whatever the Storyteller needs it to be to fuel hisplot. If there is an ancient artifact that needsadversaries to seek it out and wield it, or if theStoryteller needs a group of beings that seek noth-ing less than the death of the Unconquered Sunsservants, the apheliotropes make excellent foils.

The origin of the apheliotropes as offspring ofa vengeful Solar Exalted can even make themperfect servants for Solar adversaries in your game perhaps the apheliotropes believe the Solar inquestion to be a reincarnation of Derat Khanhimself. An interesting plot possibility is that theapheliotropes see a players character as the rein-carnation of their ancient patriarch and seek toenlist him to their dark purpose.


4

ICE FISHERDescription: Ice fishing is a common practice in

the frozen North. A fisher walks out onto a lake or sea,cuts a hole in the ice and drops his line into the waterbelow. Sometimes, these ice fishermen sit for days,waiting for a fish or seal to bite. Other fishermen usespears instead, waiting by their holes for a seal or a walrusto pop through for a quick gulp of air. Butwhichever way they hunt, sometimes,the ice fishermen find themselvesthe ones hunted and caught.

Ice fishers look similarto rays, with wide flat bod-ies and long, barbed tails.Each of their wingsend in a 10-yard-longtentacle with strongsuckers for gripping.These creaturesswim beneaththe frozen riversand lakes andoceans and are at-tracted to lights h i n i n gt h r o u g hthe ice.When an ice fisher lo-cates a likely spot, itattaches itself to the icewith its tentacles, flip-ping over in the processso that its belly, as well asits eyes and wide mouth,presses against the ice.Sometimes, it finds an existing hole, keptopen by sea mammals or cut by a fisherman who eithermoved on to a new spot or simply has not yet arrived thatday. The ice fisher can make its own hole, however itstabs its barbed tail up through the ice, pulls it back out,then bites around the edges until the hole is large enough(usually a few feet across). Then, it waits.

Sometimes the hole attracts a seal or walrus, and theice fisher waits until the animals head breaks the surfacebefore attacking. It releases its hold on the ice, wrappingits tentacles around its prey, and bites down hard with itsmouth, while its tail stabs again and again, searching fora vital organ. Once the prey goes limp, the ice fisherdrops into the depths with it and begins to feed.

But the ice fishers real prey arent the seals andwalruses that approach from below. It favors creatureswho approach from above, such as polar bears and foxes and men. The ice fisher waits at its hole until afisherman comes along. Most men are curious about the

ready-made hole in the ice and walk right up to the edge,peering in for any sign of fish or other food. Thats whenthe ice fisher strikes. It lashes up with one of its tentacles,wrapping around the mans legs, and drags him downinto the hole. Sometimes, the hole isnt big enough, andthe ice fisher must exert itself, but its well-anchoredwith the other three tentacles and its tail it maysplinter the ice around the hole and shatter the mans

bones, but it will eventually pull him through and intothe icy waters. From there, its over in a matter of

moments the man drowns or freezes, un-able to break the ice fishers grip.

The ice fishers other tactic is toswim along until it locates an exist-

ing hole thats already in use by afisherman. It anchors itself in

the same way, but if the per-son has dropped a fishing

line through, the ice fisherwaits for a moment, thengives the line a light tug.Then, it waits and tugs

again. Each tug grows alittle stronger. Even-

tually, thefishermangets tiredof the

game, and curious about what hes caught,and peers into the hole. Sometimes, he stabs

a spear through, to impale whatevers downthere, but the ice fisher simply grabs the

spear with its tentacles and pulls hard,yanking it down and the man with it.

Ice fishers are feared by most North-ern fishermen and the topic of manystories and tales. Few people encounteran ice fisher and survive because icefishers can sense vibrations both in the

water and on the ice above. (This requires an opposedroll, the ice fishers Perception + Awareness + specialty[12 dice] versus the fishermans Dexterity + Survival orStealth. Note that, if more than one person is present,each individual player should roll, and the group uses thelowest roll this is for the ice fisher to detect the entiregroups approach.) This method of detection only workson characters who touch the ice itself or enter the waterbelow it. Because of this, the descriptions offered by thestories range widely, from angry intelligent seals withblood-red eyes to beings like men but blue and scaledwho sit on the underside of the ice, upside down, in coatsand hats and boots, exactly like the men up above.Others laugh and say that theres no such thing as an icefisher and that the men who died fishing got drunk andfell into the water or fell asleep and froze to death.


Of course, some men do escape ice fisher attacks.Their friends and neighbors quickly learn not to peerinto precut fishing holes or to respond to tugs on the line.A few fishermen have even caught ice fishers instead ofthe other way around they wait until the ice fishertugs, then plunge their spears down through the ice nextto the hole. If theyve picked the right side, the spearimpales the ice fisher. It flails wildly, trying to escape, butafter a few minutes, it goes limp. Then, the fishermen cuta new hole around their spear and draw up their catch.Ice fishers are not particularly good food their bodiesare too rubbery but their flesh does provide protein,and a hungry fisherman cannot afford to pass up a meal.Recently, a rumor has begun that eating the flesh, andparticularly the barbed tail, of an ice fisher can grant theability to breathe underwater. Whether this is true or notremains to be seen.Attributes: Strength 4, Dexterity 3, Stamina 4, Cha-risma 0, Manipulation 0, Appearance 0, Perception 4,Intelligence 1, Wits 2Virtues: Compassion 2, Conviction 3, Temperance 2,Valor 4Abilities: Athletics 5 (Swimming +3), Awareness 4(Vibrations +4), Brawl 4 (Clinch +2, Stinger +3, Throw+2), Dodge 5, Endurance 4, Stealth 4 (Ambush +3),Survival 4Base Initiative: 6Attack:Bite: Speed 3 Accuracy 9 Damage 8L Defense 3Stinger: Speed 6 Accuracy 6 Damage 4L + clinch*Defense 5Tentacle: Speed 7 Accuracy 8 Damage 2B + clinch**Defense 4* The ice fishers barbed tail grants it an automaticclinch every time the barb does damage. The rules forthis are the same as those for the tentacle clinch above.

Note, however, that if the ice fisher has its victimclinched with tentacles it can still attack with its barbeach turn.** If a tentacle attack does damage, the ice fisher gainsan automatic clinch attack. This clinch does an addi-tional 4B damage. Every turn, the victims player mayattempt a Dexterity + Brawl or Martial Arts roll for hischaracter to escape, versus the ice fishers own Strength+ Brawl + specialty (10 dice). Clinched victims canattack the ice fisher or try to escape, but they can only doone per turn.Dodge Pool: 7 Soak: 3L/7B (Rubbery skin, 3L/3B)Willpower: 6 Health Levels: -0/-1/-1/-2/-2/-4/IncapEssence: 1Other Notes: The ice fishers goal in an attack is to dragits prey under the water. This is a throw attack. Everyturn the ice fisher maintains a successful clinch, it canattempt this throw. Roll the ice fishers Dexterity +Brawl + specialty (10 dice) and subtract one success fromits attack roll. If the attack succeeds, the ice fisher throwsthe victim up to three yards toward the hole. If the victimwas less than that distance from the hole, he or she isdragged into the hole and under the water. Players ofcharacters with no armor or light armor may attempt areflexive Dexterity + Athletics roll, difficulty 3, for theircharacters to grab the lip of the hole and avoid beingdragged under completely. Characters in medium andheavy armor will generally not fit through the hole, atleast not until the ice fisher bludgeons them to death,breaking most of their bones in the process. Once in thewater, characters must contend with drowning as well.Ice fishers can regrow their tentacles but not their barb,so they will normally attack only with the one tentacleuntil the victim is in the water or stuck on top of the hole.


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SHARD BATDescription: The North does not have many aerial

predators, perhaps because the air is fiercer and colder andthe snow and ice dont offer much concealment. But somecreatures have adapted to these conditions and are all themore deadly because of them. Shard bats aresuch creatures. These bats are largerthan most varieties, close to twofeet from toe to crown andalmost eight feet fromwingtip to wingtip.Their thick, snow-white fur allows themto survive the harshtemperatures and tomove almost unseenacross the white skyand equally whiteplains. But the shard bats trulyunique trait is the reason behind their name.These bats secrete a viscous liquid onto theirwings and claws. When the shard bats take flight,the liquid freezes into razor-sharp edges, turning theirwings into lethal weapons. The shard bats are enormousblades of glittering ice that descend from the sky at tremen-dous speeds and slice through prey before wheeling andreturning for a second attack. A shard bat can take a mansarm off in a single slash, so quickly and cleanly he doesnteven feel the pain until after the limb hits the ground.

Shard bats live in caves high in the mountains, hiddenby swirls of snow and fog. The caves are warmer than theoutside air, thanks to the protection from wind and the heatof the bats own bodies, and the bats cluster together in tightgroups of 20 or more, hanging upside down from rockyprotrusions. Shard bats usually leave their caves only tohunt, flying in a pack and descending on targets as a unit,moving in perfect unison. They cut back and forth untilnothing else moves, then settle onto the victims and tearflesh loose with sharp teeth and sharper claws. The batscarry meat back to their caves for the young.

Shard bats are unusual in that they are daytime crea-tures, whereas most bats are nocturnal. But their coloringmakes them less visible and more dangerous by day, whenthe suns glare helps to hide them from view. Their wingsand claws also shine in the sunlight, dazzling victims as theydescend like a shower of ice shards from the sky.

Shard bats rely on echolocation to reveal their sur-roundings. They can see general shapes all around them,which allows them to navigate narrow passageways andmaneuver between boulders and other obstacles. It alsohelps them to estimate the mass of a potential target, andshard bats are extremely good at this game they rarelytarget something too large for the current pack to handle,

such as a bull walrus. Interestingly enough, shard bats cansomehow detect undercoats and always steer clear of thedisguised creatures, avoiding an entire pack of prey animalseven if only one member of the pack is infested.Attributes: Strength 1, Dexterity 5, Stamina 3, Charisma0, Manipulation 0, Appearance 0, Perception 3, Intelli-

gence 1, Wits 3Virtues: Compassion 2, Conviction

3, Temperance 2, Valor 4Abilities: Athletics 5 (Flying

+3), Awareness 3 (Echolo-cation +3), Brawl 4,Dodge 5, Endurance 4,Stealth 2, Survival 3Base Initiative: 9Attack:Bite: Speed 6 Accu-

racy 9 Damage 2LClaw: Speed 9 Accuracy

9 Damage 5L Defense 9Wing: Speed 12 Accuracy 10

Damage 8LDodge Pool: 11 Soak: 2L/6B (Tough

fur, 2L/3B)Willpower: 3 Health Levels: -0/-1/-1/-2/-2/Incap

Essence: 1Other Notes: The shards from a shard bats wing can becrafted into arrowheads, darts and small knives. Suchweapons gain +2 to damage, but will melt if they are exposedto temperatures above freezing.The secretions of a shard bat, rubbed on a bladed weapon,will grant it a sharper edge and the ability to slice throughsnow and ice without effort. That fact has led some adven-turous souls to seek out the bats caves, in hopes of capturinga live shard bat and somehow bottling its secretions. Thecaves are difficult to reach, however, located high above theground with only steep slopes below, and even when thepack hunts, a handful of shard bats remain behind to protecttheir home and their young.The one drawback to the shard bats ice is that it allowsthem to move more quickly through the air (it cuts down onthe wind resistance) but creates a faint whistling sound, thesame as a sharp sword swung rapidly. Quick-witted travelershave survived a shard bat attack because they heard thatsound and immediately threw themselves behind a rock ortree, narrowly ducking the attack that follows. It is aDifficult (difficulty 2) Perception check to catch the sound,and a difficulty 2 Wits check to guess what it means(difficulty 1 if the character has encountered shard batsbefore). Succeeding at both gives the character one minuteto find cover, and +2 dice to the first dodge attempt.


CHAPTER TWO

THE EAST

BEAR-KILLERDescription: Years ago, when the Contagion swept

the earth and the great tides of the Wyld washed overcivilization, the very land itself was transformed. Wholespecies of animals found themselves melting like wax inflame as glamour twisted them into the war machines ofthe Fair Folk. In the Northeast, few stories of suchmetamorphoses are more tragic than the tale of the bear-killers.

Once, the bear-killers were simple bears of theNortheast, massive specimens that hunted, fished andwandered the deep forests of that region. They were

proud, noble creatures. If they were not wholly intelli-gent, there was at least a spirituality to them that madeall those who caught a glimpse of the bears in the deepwoods catch their breath. Beneath the heavy black andbrown pelts of the beasts, muscles that could fell a treerippled, and in their deep black eyes, the wise could seea mirror of the night sky.

All of that nobility came to an end when the Wylderupted from the corners of the world, and the greatbears of the Northeast were transformed in its wake.The lords of the Wyld had no talent for dealing with orbattling gods, many of whom had allied with oneanother and put aside ancient rivalries in order to halt

Bear-Killer Niljake Starlight Whistler


8

the advance of the fey. The marauding Fair Folk saw thepotential of the bears as spirit warriors, so they usedtheir strange sorcery to alter the beasts and bind themin chains of glamour.

The Fair Folks magic sliced the fur from the bearsflesh and supernaturally toughened their naked hide. Ittransformed the claws of the bears into an arcaneemerald metal that could slice through the veil thatseparated the immaterial from the material world. Thesepotent weapons left the claws permanently sharp andable to cleave through steel with ease. Finally, theyremoved the eyes of the bears and replaced them withquicksilver devices capable of seeing into the realmwhere the little gods hid. No living thing could havewithstood such a metamorphosis without being changedon a fundamental level, and the bear-killers foundthemselves cloven from their animal natures and pos-sessed of a new kind of sentience.

The expense and investment in these alterationswere great, so the Fair Folk created a mere hundred ofthese spirit warriors for use in their armies. Despite theirsmall numbers, the bear-killers became a potent part ofthe Fair Folk arsenal against the spirits of the East.

When the Fair Folk were pushed back to the newedges of Creation by the weapons of the First Age, thebear-killers were driven with them, still slaves to theirinsane masters. For centuries, the bear-killers served thefey as soldiers until the day that the Lunar hero Crimson

Unity freed them. During her sojourns into the Wyldlands, the Lunar general had witnessed the cruel terms ofthe bear-killers captivity. In a game of trickery andchance, Crimson Unity locked herself into a battle ofwits with the Fair Folk who had mastered the bears, untilfinally she fooled the fey into releasing them. She thenforced the fey to vow to never truck with their spiritwarriors again.

Free at last, the faerie-twisted bears tried to return tothe Northeast, but they found that their homes had beenirrevocably altered by the invasion of the Wyld. Evenmore distressing, their mundane brethren found themalien and ugly aberrations. Where the spirit-warriors hadonce had fur, there was now naked hide and whilethey had been creatures of an animal nature, they werenow beings apart, able to see the invisible world of thespirits and to think and voice their thoughts in a crudelanguage of their own.

The bear-killers vowed bloody revenge at the per-ceived slight visited upon them by the bears. Their wrathat this rejection was a thing of legend, and they begandriving the normal bears from the woods. For the nextfew years, anytime one of the spirit-warriors encountereda normal bear, the bear-killer cut it down on the spotwith claws of emerald-hued metal, then devoured itscarcass. Still, the bears of the woods were more numerousthan the bear-killers, and after a time, the spirit-warriorsgrew weary of the slaughter and were wracked with guilt.


The bears retreated from territory where a bear-killer wasknown to reside, and so, the bears numbers began toslowly return to normal. It is from this period that thename bear-killers fell into common usage among thepeople and spirits of the woods.

Unable to look at one another with the knowledgeof their crimes against their own kind but still toopossessed of rage to suppress their hatred, the bear-killersparted ways and began to wander beneath the massivevaults of the great forests. The bears of the woods hadbeen long-lived, and the bear-killers were nearly immor-tal, as long as they stayed in places rich in eldritchenergy. When they found a Demesne or a Wyld place,they rested. The techniques the Fair Folk had used tocreate them had left the creatures sterile, and so, theyeschewed even the company of the opposite sex.

Once every generation, the bear-killers repress theirsolitary nature and come together for a great meeting oftheir kind, to spread news of the goings-on in differentparts of the Northeast and to praise Crimson Unity, whosaved them from eternal servitude but wasnt mercifulenough to slay them. Once in a great while, CrimsonUnity will appear at these gatherings rumor has it thatshe seeks to build an army of Wyld barbarians to subduethe Threshold, and if that is true, then the bear-killerswould certainly aid her.

The bear-killers avoid human contact for the mostpart, although an adventurous hunter or sorcerer willoften seek out a bear-killer and try to slay the beast for hisclaws, which can be crafted into weapons that are potentwhen used against spirits. Most of the bear-killers aretotal recluses, avoiding all contact except for the oddencounter with a Lunar Exalted, whom they hold in highregard because of the actions of Crimson Unity. Only ahandful of the bear-killers actually seek out contact withother beings, and these aberrations typically work aswarriors in feuds between renegade spirits. Bear-killersare not welcome in the spirit courts, though, for many ofthe small gods still bear scars from wounds that thesewarriors meted out.

EMERALD METAL CLAWSThe mystic metal of the bear-killers claws,

crafted as it was from permanent glamour, allowsthe creature to attack even unmanifested spirits solong as the bear-killer is aware of them. Skilledcraftsmen can craft daggers, arrow tips and spear-heads from the metal of slain bear-killers, but due tothe strength of the metal and the shape of it, itrequires a successful Intelligence + Craft roll atdifficulty 3.

Arrowheads and spear tips crafted from theclaws of a bear-killer receive +1L damage, and adozen of them may be created from a bear-killersnatural weapons. Daggers are Speed +3 Accuracy +0 Damage +3L Defense +0.

QUICKSILVER VISIONWith a successful Perception + Awareness roll,

the bear-killers, due to their artificial quicksilvereyes, may see unmanifested spirits.

Attributes: Strength 8, Dexterity 3, Stamina 6, Cha-risma 3, Manipulation 1, Appearance 3, Perception 3,Intelligence 2, Wits 4Virtues: Compassion 2, Conviction 1, Temperance 1,Valor 3Abilities: Awareness 2, Brawl 5, Dodge 2, Linguistics 1(Native: Bear-Killer; Forest-tongue), Presence 1 (In-timidation +3), Stealth 2, Survival 3Supernatural Powers: Emerald Metal Claws, Quicksil-ver VisionBase Initiative: 7Attack:Bite: Speed 2 Accuracy 8 Damage 9LEmerald Metal Claws: Speed 7 Accuracy 8 Damage 12LDefense 10Dodge Pool: 5 Soak: 5L/6B (Tough hide, 2L/0B)Willpower: 2 Health Levels: -0/-0/-0/-1/-1/-1/-1/-2/-2/-2/-2/-4/IncapEssence: 2Other Notes: None


10

NILJAKEDescription: Niljakes are large, lizard-like crea-

tures that have been warped by the Wyld. What sets theniljakes apart from other such creatures is a singularability to move through the forest in a way that defiesmundane understanding.

Some savants say that the woods themselves arefriendly to these creatures; others say that the trees wantto get out of the niljakes way and would uproot them-selves and walk away if they only could. In reality, thenature of the creatures Wyld mutation makes natureabhor niljakes, and the end result is that niljakes cansimply run through the forest while tree trunks, bushesand other natural obstacles warp themselves out of theirway without making a sound. The plants twist them-selves back to their original forms when the creature haspassed. The effect doesnt work on rocks, buildings orother non-plant obstacles, but it does allow a niljake tomove extremely quickly and completely soundlesslythrough the thickest forests and ambush its prey withoutthe slightest warning.

A niljake is about the size of a large dog, with small,clawed forelimbs and extremely powerful and dispropor-tionately large back legs that propel it through the woodsat tremendous speeds. Niljakes stay crouched ex-tremely low when they run, allowing them to stayout of sight until they attack. Their frontlimbs arent particularly dexterous,but they can be used toslash at an enemy orto holds o m e -t h i n gs t i l lwhile it isbeing eaten.A powerful tail pro-vides balance and canbe used to heavily swatthings or peoplearound if necessary. Asingle swipe from it canbreak a grown mans limb or head. The niljakeshave strong jaws that canrend steel or rip off limbs.The creatures green-tinted, scaly hides offerthem excellent protectionagainst injury.

Niljakes moveswiftly and are extremelygood at hiding. Becauseof their shape, speed and

the advantages granted by not having to worry aboutmost obstacles found in forests, the niljakes can simplyvanish into the jungle after an attack and ambush theiropponents all over again a bit later. Putting your backagainst a tree wont be of much use, since a niljake cancome at you right through the tree, which will obliginglyand completely silently bend out of the way not asingle leaf will rustle when this happens. Most niljakesfavored tactic is to use their powerful leg muscles topropel the reptiles at their targets at an amazing speed,take a bite out of them and then disappear again, hope-fully before the target have had a chance to counterattackeffectively. The niljakes keep this up until their victimsare too weak to escape and then settle down to wait forbleeding to finish the job. The niljakes particularly enjoyattacking travelers who have made camp for the nightand, presumably, make easy prey for a creature that canmove silently and not worry about the underbrush rus-tling or blocking its way.

Niljakes usually mate for life and thus travel in pairs,but their amazing speed can easily make travelers believethat they are surrounded by a large pack of the creatures.Despite their efficiency as hunters, niljakes avoid largegroups of humans, preferring to go after easier targetssuch as other animals. Lone humans are fair game forthem, however.

11

THE REST OF THE CREATURES

For all their ferocity, niljakes arent particularlyclever and have no understanding of Exalted or whatthey can do, and the creatures can thus end up attackingwhat look like one or two harmless humans but are, inreality, something quite a bit more dangerous.Attributes: Strength 4, Dexterity 4, Stamina 3, Cha-risma 1, Manipulation 1, Appearance 1, Perception 2,Intelligence 1, Wits 3Virtues: Compassion 1, Conviction 2, Temperance 1,Valor 3Abilities: Athletics 4, Awareness 2, Brawl 4, Dodge 1,Endurance 2, Resistance 1, Stealth 3, Survival 3Supernatural Powers: Nature WarpBase Initiative: 7Attack:Bite: Speed 9 Accuracy 8 Damage 8LClaw: Speed 7 Accuracy 5 Damage 5L Defense 8Tail: Speed 9 Accuracy 8 Damage 10B Defense 8** The tail allows an additional attack that can beexecuted without splitting the creatures dice pool.Dodge Pool: 5 Soak: 3L/6B (Thick, scaly hide,3L/3B)Willpower: 4 Health Levels: -0/-0/-1/-1/-1/-1/-2/-2/-4/IncapEssence: 2Other Notes: Niljakes are very fast. They run at a speedof their Dexterity rating + 20 yards per turn and sprint at(Dexterity x 3) + 30 yards per turn.

NATURE WARPThis Wyld mutation causes plants to bend

out of the Wyld creatures way. While it looks asif the plants willfully get out of the way, inactuality, the space that contains them warps toavoid contact with the alien presence of theWyld. This offers several advantages a Wyldcreature with this blight may simply run througha forest at full speed and never worry aboutslowing down, so long as he doesnt come acrossa boulder or a ravine. Pursuers will find that eventhe creatures footprints are quite difficult tolocate, as the creatures feet do touch the groundbut not the grass or moss that grows on it. Evendead branches, leaves and other similar remainsof plant life avoid the touch of this mutation. Anequally useful effect is that wooden weapons willalways miss the creature with this mutation,though for example a wooden spear with a steeltip will still do normal damage.

However, this seemingly positive effect alsohas its downsides, the most obvious ones of whichare the social consequences. Most societies take adim view of beings twisted by the Wyld, and thispower is often viewed as a particularly vile one natures abhorrence of the Wyld creature is takenas a clear sign of its evil. Eating fruits, vegetables orother plant matter of any kind also becomes im-possible, as they cannot even be touched, muchless swallowed. Climbing trees, crossing woodenbridges or trying to go upstairs in a wooden build-ing is also impossible. A dead Wyld creature nolonger causes this effect, so an armor made out ofthe hide of such a creature will not enable some-one to run through a forest with his eyes closed.


12

STARLIGHT WHISTLERDescription: In the upper branches

of the great Eastern forests live a race of gray-winged birdmen, distant descendants of atribe who sought the favor of the spirits ofthe air. These birdmen hide from the light ofthe sun and the full moon, venturingout only in starlight or dur-ing eclipses, pained by lightand yet drawn to it with adesperate hunger. Whenthey hunt at night, theywhistle to each other, com-municating without wordsand coordinating their pur-suit of prey in the clearingsbelow. Local tribes callthem the starlight whis-tlers and curse them as themisbegotten offspring ofgods and the refuse ofthe heavens.

Thousands ofyears ago, duringthe First Age, thetribe had wings asglorious asmoonsilver, asproud as eaglesand as mighty asthe north wind.The starlight whistlersloyally served Star ofWormwood, a DawnCaste who dwelt in theregion, acted as theirpatron and found themuseful as shock troopsand spies. However, therecame a day when he made waron another Exalt. His enemyoffered the tribe gifts of dia-monds, silk and coral as theprice for treachery; the bird-men were to flee the battle at acrucial moment, leaving the Dawn Exalts flank un-guarded. In a moment of folly, they took the bribe, andin a moment of rashness, they betrayed their master,flying away into the depths of the forest. As he saw themdepart and felt his enemys spear in his side, the DawnCaste Exalt cursed them in the name of the Uncon-quered Sun, that their beauty should be as fleeting astheir loyalty and that they should crave the light but be

unable to endure it. As his curse rang in the air, thewings of the tribe molted and cracked, becoming scalyand raiton-like, where before they had been morebeautiful than the eagles, and they screamed and hidthemselves from the sunlight, feeling it burn their skinand eyes.

There are barely 50 of the starlight whistlers leftnow, and while they assault women from local tribes inan attempt to sire more children, very few of the womengive birth to living offspring. When this does happen,the women expose the accursed babies outside theirvillage, leaving them to their demonic fathers.

13


The whistlers have long since moved past the stageof deciding who to blame for their fate (it was definitelythe Solars) and have settled into a dogged resignationand bitterness, pursuing a miserable life in the highbranches of the trees. They cannot tolerate sunlightwithout pain, and even moonlight is uncomfortable (-2to all rolls in sunlight, and -1 in moonlight), but due toStar of Wormwoods curse, they hate living in darkness,and they fly under the starlight in the dark of the moon.Their weaponry, bows and javelins, dates back to theFirst Age and is still in perfect condition, as they care forand tend to it meticulously; but they dress in loinclothsand skins and wear bones braided in their hair. Theirskins are ugly and blotched with gray markings, but theirbone structure is still fine and graceful. They live, onaverage, for 80 years.

The starlight whistlers fly as well as raitons (seeExalted, p. 317) and like to harry their prey with arrowsuntil they begin to drop from exhaustion, then swoopdown to finish them off with javelins. Men have thehigher rank in their culture, but women are accepted asequal hunters alongside them. The whistlers scorn merehumans but are not averse to terrorizing local tribes intopaying tribute to be left alone and have, at times, leaguedthemselves with Fair Folk as hunters. While the whis-tlers will pay local spirits the minimum of respect wherenecessary, the birdmen are generally not fond of the littlegods in the past, the whistlers have made manyappeals to spirits to heal their condition and have beenrefused or have had the attempts fail. The starlight

whistlers loathe and fear the Exalted: Many legends andtales of the First Age have been handed down throughthe tribe from generation to generation, and some of theinformation is even moderately accurate. While theywould dearly love to take revenge on any Solars, theyalso fear possible retribution. A possible tactic mightinvolve setting the Solars against any local Fair Folk andthen trying to betray the Solars in the confusion.Attributes: Strength 4, Dexterity 2, Stamina 3, Cha-risma 1, Manipulation 2, Appearance 1, Perception 4,Intelligence 3, Wits 3Virtues: Compassion 1, Conviction 4, Temperance 3,Valor 3Abilities: Athletics 3, Awareness 4, Brawl 3, Dodge 3,Endurance 3 (Jungles +2), Lore 4, Medicine 2, Melee 3(Javelin +2), Presence 2, Resistance 3, Socialize 1,Stealth 3, Survival 2 (Jungles +1)Backgrounds: Allies 3 (Local Fair Folk)Base Initiative: 6Attack:Punch: Speed 4 Accuracy 4 Damage 3B Defense 4Bow: Speed 6 Accuracy 6 Damage 6L Defense 6 (Rate 2,Range 150)Javelin: Speed 6 Accuracy 7 Damage 7L Defense 7Dodge Pool: 5 Soak: 3L/6B (Hardened, deformedskin, 2L/3B)Willpower: 6 Health Levels: -0/-0/-0/-1/-1/-1/-2/-2/-2/-4/IncapEssence: 2Other Notes: None


14

CHAPTER THREE

THE SOUTH

CACTUS SNAKEDescription: Nature is clever, and sometimes, it

creates beasts for a specific purpose or even to work inunison with other plants or animals. The cactus snake isone of this latter type. Small (between two and three feetlong) and slender, the cactus snake is usually a pale gray-green, but its skin color alters to match its surroundings.

The snakes like moisture and coolness, and so theyseek out cacti, then burrow deep within the desert

plants. Once inside, a cactus snake wriggles back arounduntil its head is exposed again. Then it sleeps, cool andcomfortable. Vibrations in the ground nearby travel upthrough the cactus and awaken the snake, which liescompletely still. As soon as a person or animal is withina foot of the plant, the cactus snake strikes, launchingitself forward so that half its length is still anchoredwithin the plant and the other half is reaching for itsvictim. The cactus snake bites down on any exposedflesh, then coils back up, ready to attack again. A second

Cactus Snake Serpent of Colorless Fire

15


attempt is rarely necessary, though. The venom ofthe cactus snake is extremely potent andliquefies its victim a dog or a small childwould be a puddle within 10 minutes.The liquid then seeps into the ground,and is absorbed by the roots of thecactus. The cactus snake itself doesntdirectly consume thevictim it gainsits strength fromthe cactus,feeding on thesoft pulp withinthe plant. With thecactus fed, the snakeis also fed, and bothare happy.

Cactus snakes areknown to live in smallgroups, finding a collection ofcacti and inhabiting them to-gether. Each snake claims onecactus, and victims are usuallynot struck until standingwithin the circle of plants, sothat all the cacti can benefitfrom their liquescent flesh.

There are only three waysto catch and kill a cactus snake.The first is to set its cactus on fire the snake will flee as soon as theheat reaches it, and then, it can bekilled before it finds another home.The second way is to lure the snakeinto attacking and catch it in mid-strike, when half of its body is tautand exposed. The third is to attack the snakeright through its cactus home, slicing clean through bothplant and creature. This last approach is difficult for tworeasons. First, the cactus snakes are small and fast, and itsdifficult to tell exactly where they are in the cactus even if you can see the snakes head, its hard to locate itsbody (-4 dice on attack rolls against the body). Second,cactus snakes only choose strong, healthy cacti as homesand fortify the plants even more by providing them withrich food and nutrients. A cactus snakes cactus has anatural armor rating of 4L/5B.

Attributes: Strength 1, Dexterity 5, Stamina 2,Charisma 0, Manipulation 0, Appearance

1, Perception 5, Intelligence 1, Wits 3Virtues: Compassion 2, Conviction

3, Temperance 2, Valor 4Abilities: Athletics 3 (Burrow +1),Awareness 3, Brawl 2, Dodge 5,Stealth 4, Survival 4Base Initiative: 6Attack:Bite: Speed 8 Accuracy 6 Damage2L + venom*

* If a bite attack does dam-age, the cactus snake hasbroken skin and injectedits venom. Cactus snakevenom liquefies the body:

Difficulty 4, Success 1L/minute(4L total), Failure 2L/minute(8L total). Duration/Penalty 4 hours/-3. Mortalspoisoned in this fashion willsurely perish in short order.

Dodge Pool: 7 Soak: 0L/4B (Tough scales, 0L/

2B) / 4L/9B (Cactus,4L/5B)Willpower: 2Health Levels: -0/-1/-2/Incap

Essence: 1Other Notes: Cactus snakes can burrow deep

within a plant, but when desperate, they can alsoburrow into flesh or wood or even soft stone.

They use their fangs to dig, and the trace amounts ofcorrosive venom on the tips dissolves most material,allowing the snakes to make a temporary retreat. How-ever, a cactus snake cannot live away from a cactus formore than a week and will abandon its new refuge at thefirst opportunity.Cactus snake venom is in high demand among thievesand assassins. It doesnt eat through glass or hard stone(such as granite), but can dissolve anything else, includ-ing soft metals. It is perfect for removing a lock or a hingeand excellent as a fast-acting poison. The Dune Peoplehave an antidote, which can save a victims life ifreceived within 10 minutes of first being bitten, but theykeep the knowledge of its mixture secret.


16

SERPENT OF COLORLESS FIRE (FIRESNAKE)Description: Far to the South, the heat is

neverending, and the winds shift the trackless desert asthough searching for the jewels which lie beneath.Nomads and caravans of sand-miners from Gem, Chiar-oscuro, Paragon and the Varang City-States dare thedeadly wastes in search of the same.

The Wyld mixes with the element of fire to en-croach upon the Southern edge of Creation, and itchanges the world as surely as flame chars wood or searssand into glass. One breed of creature reported fre-quently by those who brave the desert to gather firedustare the sinister beasts they call the serpents of colorlessfire, or firesnakes. Clear as the purest of glass, thesevipers move through the sand unseen and strike likelightning. A victim of firesnake venom feels its fieryeffects not merely as painful poison, but literally burnsto death from the inside.

As might be expected, firesnakes are immune tothe ravages of the desert heat and that of elementalflame. Inexperienced gatherers are surprised to discoverthat the serpents of colorless fire follow the scent offiredust and that they feed upon it for sustenance.Caravans and military caches of the powder oftenattract the serpents, and it is not uncommon for theirfeeding to invoke fiery explosions that wreak havocupon life and limb as well as destroying a kings ransomsworth of firedust. Given their forms natural invisibil-

ity, victims of such blasts often have only suspicions ofwhat occurred as firesnakes remain near-invisible evenshould they be slain by the detonation.

The typical firesnake is about four to five feet inlength and appears much as a normal snake of the desert,except that its flesh and scales are crystal clear. Thismakes it difficult to spot the deadly serpents and lendscredence to the legends claiming that the deepest reachesof the South are naught by colorless fire.

Certain disreputable merchants in the cities of theSouth offer a bounty for living firesnakes, as they breedthe serpents and sell these deadly creatures to assassinsand collectors of exotic beasts. Others are more inter-ested in the glassy skins the creatures leave behind whenthey molt. Some of the finest, and rarest, crystal in theSouth is crafted by melting firesnake molts, and it is soclear that a goblet, for example, might appear as nothingbut wine floating in air.Attributes: Strength 1, Dexterity 5, Stamina 1, Cha-risma 1, Manipulation 1, Appearance 1, Perception 3,Intelligence 1, Wits 4Virtues: Compassion 1, Conviction 2, Temperance 1,Valor 4Abilities: Awareness 1 (Scent Firedust +3), Brawl 3(Bite +3), Dodge 1, Presence 1 (Intimidation +1),Stealth 3Supernatural Powers: Endurance of the South, Skin ofColorless Fire, Venom of Liquid FireBase Initiative: 9

17


Attack:Bite: Speed 9 Accuracy 11 Damage 1L* Defense 5* Plus Venom of Liquid Fire.Dodge Pool: 6/9 Soak: 1L/2B (Scales, 1L/1B)

ENDURANCE OF THE SOUTHFiresnakes are completely immune to any attack based upon fire or heat, even those enhanced by the

Essence of spirits or the Exalted. Additionally, they are not harmed by the fiery blasts sometimes accompa-nying feeding upon their favored diet of firedust, though debris and shrapnel from the explosion may affectthe firesnake as a normal blow.

SKIN OF COLORLESS FIREThe flesh and scales of a firesnake are as clear as the finest crystal. As the serpents slither across the sand or

leap into lightning fast strikes, this unnatural transparency translates into near-invisibility. As such, any attemptto sense the presence of a firesnake via the sense of sight suffers a +3 penalty to the difficulty. It should never beassumed that the firesnakes are automatically visible; even a snake resting in open sight requires a Perception +Awareness check to spot it. Worse yet, in combat, this near-invisibility renders their venomous strikes almostimpossible to block. Anyone attempting to parry the strike of a firesnake suffers a +3 penalty to the difficulty dueto the fact it is nearly impossible to see the rapidly moving transparent creature.

VENOM OF LIQUID FIRERequires no motes of Essence, but a typical firesnake only generates enough venom for five successful

strikes in a days time. So long as even a single level of damage is caused by a firesnakes bite, the victim suffersthe effects of its venom.

Venom Type Difficulty Success Failure Duration/PenaltyFiresnake 3 1L 4L Until 3 separate resistance checks succeed/1L

per turn

Firesnake venom courses through the veins, setting a victim on fire throughout her body. Initial damageis determined by the success or failure of a Stamina + Resistance roll to resist poison as normal, except thatthe resulting damage is fire damage. Additionally, the poison continues to burn the victim for 1L damage perturn (rolled) until her player succeeds at three difficulty 2 Stamina + Resistance rolls. The Resistance roll ofexposure counts toward the total. During any turn that the poison causes damage, the victim suffers -4 to allactions as she suffers the terrible agony of being burned from the inside out. Luckily, firesnakes cannot spittheir venom in the fashion of some tropical serpents.

Southern assassins often seek to utilize the venom for their own nefarious purposes. As it generally burstsinto flame and burns away upon exposure to air, most contact will merely result in 3L/1L damage a single timeat best. Industrious killers use special darts or arrows to keep the poison airtight until it is delivered to theirvictims bloodstream.

Willpower: 6 Health Levels: -1/-3/IncapEssence: 1Other Notes: Unless the Storyteller is aiming for an epicserpent, firesnakes are almost always extras.


18

CHAPTER FOUR

THE WEST

Boar Seal Giant Flying Hagfish

19


BOAR SEALDescription: Irritable and ravenous, boar seals

plague the Northwest waters of Creation. They willstalk anything, attack anything and eat anything. Theyhave an unnerving intelligence and learn from theirencounters with men, passing the lessons they learnon to their young. If a pack of boar seals survivesan encounter with a particular band of war-riors, its members will remember theirmistakes and use that knowledge to theiradvantage if they encounter the samewarriors again.

These large aquatic mammalshave flippers in place of all fourlegs. Unlike whales or dolphins,they do not have tails. Most un-pleasantly, they also have thetusks and attitude of wildboars. Boar seals use theirflexible bodies and rearflippers to propel themquickly through the wa-ter. They roam in packs,eating everything andanything they can gettheir mouths around.They are typically foundin Northern watersand near shippinglanes. Some genera-tions ago, boar sealsdiscovered that tastytreats could be found in thewooden things that float on water. Fortunately for theboar seals and unfortunately for sailors, the creatures alsodiscovered that their tusks are strong enough to rip holesin the bottoms of boats.

Now, boar seals search for their wooden prey inpacks. When they find a tasty looking boat, they ripholes in the bottom of it and stalk it while it sinks. Oncethe boat capsizes, the creatures devour whatever theyfind inside, man, beast or foodstuff. These creatures aremotivated by their voracious hunger and their surlynature. Some ships, when sailing through boar sealwaters, attempt to distract or kill the creatures by dump-ing poisoned foodstuffs into the ocean. However, boarseals can digest almost anything, and attempts to poisonthem often fail.

Boar seals travel beneath the waves as a general rule,undetectable by the untrained eye. Even experiencedseamen can be surprised by a pack of these creatures. (Itis a difficulty 3 task to spot boar seals as they approachand stalk a ship. It is only a difficulty 2 task to noticethem while they attack a large ship while under water.Players of characters in small ships need only succeed at

a difficulty 2 task for their characters to spot thecreatures approach, while characters in boatswill notice the attack immediately as a result ofthe buffeting and the sound of wood tearing.)

Attributes: Strength 6, Dexterity 3, Stamina7, Charisma 1, Manipulation 1, Appearance

1, Perception 3, Intelligence 2, Wits 3Virtues: Compassion 1, Conviction

4, Temperance 1, Valor 3Abilities: Athletics 3, Aware-ness 3, Brawl 3, Dodge 2,Presence 1 (Intimidation +2),

Socialize 2Supernatural Powers: Re-sistance to PoisonsBase Initiative: 6Attack:Bite: Speed 7 Accuracy 7Damage 4L Defense 6

Gore: Speed 3 Accuracy 4Damage 7L Defense 5Ram: Speed 6 Accuracy8 Damage 6B Defense 5

Dodge Pool: 5/3 Soak: 4L/7B

Willpower: 4Heath Levels: -0/-0/-1/

-1/-2/-4/IncapEssence: 1Other Notes: Swimming speed is 30 yards per turn.

RESISTANCE TO POISONSBoar seals have a natural immunity to most

poisons. They resist poison as do Exalted (see Ex-alted, p. 243). In addition, the difficulty of theResistance + Stamina roll to any poison they areexposed to is reduced by 3. If the difficulty is reducedbelow 1, the boar seals automatically resist it. Regard-less of the success or failure of resistance, the damageis automatically reduced by two levels, to a minimumof zero damage. Finally, the duration and penalty, ifany, associated with the poison are halved, roundedin the boar seals favor.


20

GIANT FLYING HAGFISHDescription: The rumors began circulating through-

out the ports of the Southwest about a decade ago:Sailors claimed to have seen fish of all kinds flyingthrough the air like birds. Tavern wags attributed thewild yarns to excessive grog and insufficient shore leave,but wiser, more experienced listeners men and womenwho had experienced the mysteries of the great Westerndeep paid heed to the tales and kept a sharp eye outon their next voyage. Fiction became fact three yearsago when the caravel Hungry Gull staggered into Aba-lone port with a giant squid hopelessly entangled androtting in its rigging. The crew spoke of a desperatebattle against a flying sperm whale intent on seizingboth ship and squid and dragging them off into theclouds. Massive tooth marks all over the tops lentcredence to the sailors story, and several expeditions setoff in search of this Floating Ocean.

The strange phenomenon has been encoun-tered several times since then, often with loss oflife and cargo, but never in the same placet w i c e .Schoolsof aerialb a r r a -c u d ah a v es w e p tb l o o d yp a t h sacross decks;flying sharkshave carried offtopsmen; one cap-tain even lost an armto a transparentmonstrosity whenhe mis-took itsglowingfeeler fora lanternlate at night. Nor are car-nivorous fish the onlysuch dangers: The far-trading Chiaroscuranmerchanter Golden Profitwent adrift when a mas-sive school of panickedtuna tore its rigging to shreds.

Coordinating reportsfrom crews and captains up anddown the breadth of the West,savants have been able to paint a

speculative picture of the Floating Ocean. It is a rupturein Creation, a powerful Wyld area resting atop thewaves, following the vagaries of the wind currents. It isalso massive in scope, covering dozens of miles: Fewships can detect it in time to avoid it entirely. Theevent that created the Floating Ocean is not known,although Fair Folk meddling is the leading suspect.What is known is the effect of the Wyld energies thatpower the Floating Ocean: An entire aquatic ecosys-tem has been transposed vertically. Bottom-dwellersnow inhabit a zone of air just above the surface of the

mundane ocean while dolphins and humpbacks swimalongside the gulls. In the topsy-turvy world of theFloating Ocean, air means life and water means death:Flying fish submerged beneath the waves will suffocate.

These are not the only changes the Wyld hasworked on this bizarre sky-sea. Many of the aquaticspecies it has turned into fliers have been altered in

21


other ways. It would be impossible to catalog all of themutations caused by the Wyld, nor could any logic beapplied thereto. However, few of the Floating Oceansdenizens are as disgusting and feared as the giant hag-fish. In its mundane version, the hagfish is one to twofeet in length, and its body is coated with a viscous,disgusting slime that helps the wormlike creature toescape its predators. Small rasps and an ability to tieitself into knots allow it to feed on the carrion that fallsto the ocean floor. It is a foul but largely benign (andindeed edible) beast.

But the hagfish of the Floating Ocean is a man-sized giant, capable of enveloping sailors within itsslimy, loose-skinned folds and squeezing the breathfrom their lungs. If constriction isnt enough to kill theunfortunate victim, the giant hagfishs slime will finishthe job. No longer a defense mechanism, this snot-likesubstance is a powerful corrosive. It leaves hideous weltsand sores on human skin; given sufficient time, it willalso eat its way through a sailors leather jerkin, a shipswooden hull or low-quality metals. These hideous crea-tures have even been seen to sneeze nasal slime plugsat their prey, coating the hapless souls in acidic goo.Once an individual so afflicted collapses to the deck,the giant hagfish will curl about his body and put itstugging mouth tentacles, greedy tongue and abrasiverasps to work on the shrieking sailors flesh. This formof attack succeeds only infrequently; the giant hagfishstill possesses the poor eyesight of its smaller cousin andmust rely instead on its sense of smell. But even thegiant hagfish of the Floating Ocean gets lucky once ina while and scores a bullseye.

Giant hagfish are sluggish animals: Possessed of aglacial metabolism, they only need to feed every severalmonths. Sailors should be forewarned, however. A gianthagfish doesnt have to aggressively attack a person to

kill him. All it takes is one wrong tack into an otherwisequiescent school of these noisome giants, and ones sailsare as tattered and rent as a beggars cloak. The FloatingOcean no doubt contains far worse horrors, but thosecrews who have encountered the giant hagfish andsurvived have no desire to study the regions inhabitantsany further.Attributes: Strength 3, Dexterity 2, Stamina 4, Cha-risma 0, Manipulation 0, Appearance 0, Perception 2,Intelligence 1, Wits 2Virtues: Compassion 1, Conviction 1, Temperance 1,Valor 1Abilities: Archery 1 (Spit +1), Athletics 3 (Swim +1),Awareness 1, Brawl 2 (Grab +1), Dodge 3, Endurance 1Base Initiative: 4Attack:Bite: Speed 4 Accuracy 6 Damage 3L Defense 6Grab: Speed 5 Accuracy 6 Damage Clinch + acidSlime Plug Spit: Speed 6 Accuracy 4 Damage Acid** See Other Notes, below.Dodge Pool: 5 Soak: 2L/4BWillpower: 4 Health Levels: -0/-1/-1/-2/-2/IncapEssence: 1Other Notes: Giant hagfish can spit their nostril slimeplugs up to twice their body length in distance (four yardson average). However, they can only do this once perscene it takes them a while to clog their nasal passageswith mucus again. The slime itself functions as an envi-ronmental hazard (see p. 244 of Exalted): Diff. 3, ResistedEffect 2L, Failed Effect 8L, Interval 1 turn.Once a giant hagfishs slime has struck its target, its inhis best interest to wash the slime off as quickly aspossible. Wine or vinegar will do, but turpentine is theonly sure remedy (difficulty 3 Wits + Medicine roll withwine or vinegar, difficulty 1 with turpentine).


22

CHAPTER FIVE

THE SCAVENGERLANDS

CLAY MANDescription: Usually seen only from a distance, this

behemoth stands over 15 feet tall and is apparentlyconstructed from rough brown clay, hence its name. Itsshape is manlike, though its features are crude and ill-defined the few who have been closer claim that itsface shifts slightly, as if reforming itself from moment tomoment, and say that its skin glistens as if it were stillwet. The Clay Man has no finger- or toenails, no belly

button, none of the small details that mark a true man oreven a well-made statue. The only elements that are notapparently clay are its eyes, which are wholly human andglitter blue, like sapphires.

In fact, the Clay Man is not a rough copy of man, butthe original from which man was patterned thePrimordials created him as a template. His features stillshift from being altered too many times during theprocess. Sadly, the Primordials never finalized his ap-

Clay Man The Lookshy Rebel Tomb Beast

23


pearance, even after moving on to the creation of man-kind itself. The Clay Man was forgotten, left behind butnot returned to his original state, and so, he continues tothis day. The Clay Man lacks many of the things thatmen consider a part of life. He does not eat or drink orbreath, does not sleep, does not wear clothes and cannotprocreate. He can think and speak, but he rarely talks tostrangers, and after eons alone, he has said everything tohimself that he cares to say. Generally, the Clay Man justwanders Creation, moving from place to place,because he enjoys traveling and delights in thefreedom to go anywhere without restriction. He isalso the self-appointed custodian of earth and stoneand monitors the world to ensure that no perma-nent damage is done by foolish andshort-sighted mortals.

The Clay Mans bond withthe earth remains strong, evenafter so many eons, and anyonewatching him will discover thathe does not so much walk asflow across andthrough the groundas a ships glidesthrough water.The Clay Mancan sink

down into the earth as well and instantly reemerge asmuch as a mile from the initial spot, or he may reach hishand into the ground and have it appear up to half a milefrom the rest of his body he can still control his handat such a distance, though it takes some effort.

As the original creature grown from clay and earth,the Clay Man possesses an intimate knowledge of thosesubstances. He knows the location of everything withinthe ground, anywhere within Creation. This includes

many lost treasures of the First Age and quite a fewpowerful weapons. Many Exalted haveapproached the Clay Man, seeking hisaid in locating and recovering theseitems. He has refused every request. Ap-parently, the Clay Man is a possessiveowner and considers everything beneath

the ground as his domain. He disap-proves of the Exalted, for their

violence and greed, and has chosento safeguard all buried items until

he deems human-ity fit to receive them.

Some Exalted havetired of petitioning and triedtaking from the Clay Manby force. That has proven

a mistake. Though notaggressive himself, thebehemoth is capable ofresponding in kind andwill not only defendhimself, but launch animmediate counterat-tack. His preferredtechnique involves

reaching throughthe ground andyanking the at-tacker down intothe earth, then

leaving the person to suf-focate. Barring that, he tears

chunks of earth and stonefrom the ground and hurlsthem at foes. The Clay Man


24

will only fight personally if both of these methods fail,but he is far from helpless. In addition to his immense sizeand strength, the creatures ability to sink into the earthat will makes him extremely difficult to hit or to block.Weapons made from the bounty of the earth cannotharm him, and any such weapons that hit the Clay Manbecome lodged in his body and can only be retrievedthrough an opposed Strength roll, which he may reflex-ively resist. This includes weapons made of terrestrialstone or metal only starmetal is exempt, as it did notcome from this world.

If his opponents gain the upper hand, the Clay Manwill reach into the earth and retrieve one of the veryweapons the Exalts seek and will then use that againstthem. His generic nature and Primordial power is suchthat he is always attuned with full material bonuses toany non-starmetal item that he touches. If even this fails,the Clay Man will eventually retreat, melting into theearth. Since he does not need to breathe, he will staybelow ground for several days, walking in a randomdirection until safely away from his pursuers. Locatingthe Clay Man within the earth requires an opposed roll,the searchers Perception + Awareness versus the ClayMans Dexterity + Stealth + specialty (18).

The Clay Man rarely speaks, but he does know allhuman and Exalted tongues. He only speaks to those heconsiders worthy, and most of these recreations andcopies do not impress him. He views men with amuse-ment and a little condescension, mixed with just a touchof jealousy. He finds it sad that these creatures shouldlive such short lives and fight over such foolish things,but at the same time, he envies them their passion andtheir ability to be together. Exalted anger him, however these were the creatures based upon his own self, andthey have twisted every aspect of his nature, turning hisbond with the earth into a delight in power and his calmnature into an arrogant demeanor. They were giveneverything he never had and threw it all away over greedand hatred. He despises the Solar Exalted in particular,as the greatest offenders.

Attributes: Strength 10, Dexterity 8, Stamina 18, Cha-risma 6, Manipulation 1, Appearance 6, Perception 8,Intelligence 4, Wits 5Abilities: Awareness 4, Brawl 6 (Grab +5), Craft (Sculp-ture) 4 (Earthy Trinkets +3), Dodge 12, Endurance 10,Lore 14, Melee 10 (All Weapons of the Earth +3),Presence 8, Resistance 3, Stealth 5 (Underground +5),Survival 6Elemental Powers: Coarse Skin, Elements Domain,Mobility, RejuvenationBase Initiative: 10Attack:Grab: Speed 10 Accuracy 8 Damage 5B +hold*Punch: Speed 10 Accuracy 8 Damage 12BKick: Speed 6 Accuracy 5 Damage 14BBoulder: Speed 8 Accuracy 6 Damage 10B* If the Clay Man grabs a person and does damage, hishand clenches around the individual and drags her downinto the earth. This is an opposed roll, the Clay MansStrength + Brawl + specialty (21) versus the victimsStrength + Brawl or Martial Arts. If the Clay Man wins,the victim is yanked below ground and takes one auto-matic unsoakable level of bashing damage every turnfrom suffocation. Breaking free once underground re-quires the victim to win the opposed roll twice in a row.Dodge Pool: 20 Soak: 20L/30B (Made of clay, 16L/24B)Willpower: 10 Health Levels: -0/-0/-0/-0/-0/-1/-1/-1/-1/-1/-2/-2/-2/-2/-2/-4/-4/IncapEssence: 8 Essence Pool: 120Other Notes: For those he does consider worthy, theClay Man is a literal treasure trove of both artifacts andknowledge. Aware and alert since the First Age, the ClayMan watched the creation of the world and its peopleand knows many valuable secrets, not the least of whichare the locations of many hidden treasures. He can eventeach Exalted better awareness of their bodies and howto reawaken the bond between flesh and earth, so thatthey can mimic his earth-melding to a lesser degree. Thisrequires intense training, however, and is not somethingthe Clay Man reveals often.

25


THE LOOKSHY REBELDescription: The Lookshy Rebel is named after a

group of former Lookshy citizens who didnt appreciatethe well-ordered way of life Lookshy is famed for.Deciding a few years ago to form an under-ground organization to oppose themilitary regime they felt was toooppressive and restricting,these rebels found them-selves a suitably remote cellaras a clandestine meeting placefor their planning sessions.

When a few more peoplejoined, the cellar became toosmall for their dozen members,and so, the plotters decided toexpand their lair. Much totheir surprise, they found thatthere was something hiddeninside the earthen wall something that had been therefor quite a while, by the looksof it. It was a sphere aboutthe size of a mans head,made of what appeared tobe slightly rusted iron, yetstrangely light, as if itwere hollow.

There was anargument aboutwho it belongedto one of theconspirators saidthat it was in hiscellar, so it was his,while another one saidthat it was his since hewas the one whofound it. The rest ofthose present dividedmore or less evenly,except for two ofthem who insistedthat they were allbrothers and it shouldbelong to all ofthem. One ofthese dissent-ers left thecellar at thatpoint, certain that yet another fightamong equals was sure to follow.

Behind him, he could hear one ofthem announcing that he was tired of the

argument and would split it open with a shovel to seewhat was inside.

It is not known how someone could capture Wyldenergies inside an iron sphere. Those savants well-versed in the ways of Fair Folk have hazarded a shaky

guess that perhaps their vulnerability to unalloyediron might have had something to do with it.

Whatever the cause, the rebels emerged fromthe cellar quite different than

they had been when theywent in. Fused into a single,massive creature, the formerfreedom fighters staggeredand stumbled their way into

the city square, shouting outseditious political slogans andtreasonous remarks about the

General Staff.It took the Dragon-

Blooded a little over threeminutes to slice the

creature to pieces. Itwould have hap-pened faster, butthey were too be-

mused to swing straightand true. Even as they

slew it, thehuge creaturecontinued to

babble on, dis-p l a y i n g

incredible clumsi-ness, disregarding the

terrible wounds it sufferedand flailing ineffectuallyat its foes. Some of thewarriors actually laughedat the monster rather than

fight it.That should have been

the end of it. But for whatever rea-son, the Lookshy Rebel refused to stay dead. To

date, it has appeared 15 times, in each instancemaking its clumsy way toward the citadel andshouting how the oppression should stop, andeach time, it has been cut to pieces and the

pieces burned. At this point, theDragon-Blooded are no longeramused. In the course of its vari-

ous appearances, the Lookshy Rebel haskilled at least 30 people, all of them

helots and citizens who have gone that extra mile tosupport the Terrestrials. Killing it is not really a prob-


26

lem, but one can never know where it will turn up nextand how much damage it will cause before the fieldforce on garrison duty can deal with it.

When it appears, the Lookshy Rebel looks at firstglance like an impossibly huge, terribly malformed man.Closer inspection reveals that while it has the rightnumber of limbs and heads, the texture of its skin clearlyshows the features of other mens bodies. There arepatches of hair and beard in unlikely spots on its body. Itonly has a single mouth, but the political agenda thecreature utters is spoken in a number of different voicesand, more often than not, contradicts itself.

Despite its seemingly limitless clumsiness, theLookshy Rebel is not an amusing sight. The TerrestrialExalted might have been strong enough to laugh in itsface when they first encountered it, but for the ordinarycitizens of Lookshy, it is a terrible danger indeed, and ithas no care for those who are caught its path. For his part,the surviving member of the original group has decidedto leave politics and fervently hopes that no one everfinds out about his involvement.

Attributes: Strength 5, Dexterity 1, Stamina 5, Cha-risma 1, Manipulation 1, Appearance 1, Perception 2,Intelligence 3, Wits 2Virtues: Compassion 1, Conviction 5, Temperance 1,Valor 2Abilities: Athletics 1, Awareness 1, Brawl 3, Dodge 1,Stealth 2, Survival 2Base Initiative: 5Attack:Fist: Speed 5 Accuracy 4 Damage 5B Defense 6Kick: Speed 2 Accuracy 3 Damage 7B Defense 5Dodge Pool: 2 Soak: 5L/10B (Thick, leathery hide,5L/5B)Willpower: 2 Health Levels: -0/-0/-0/-0/-0/-0/-0/-0/-0/-0/-0/-1/-2/-4/IncapEssence: 3Other Notes: To truly destroy the Lookshy Rebel, theiron ball must be found and the crack on it weldedtogether. The balls current location is left up to theStoryteller it could be in the basement still, it couldbe kept as a memento by the only surviving member ofthe original Lookshy rebels, or perhaps a Scavenger Lordhas found it and sold it. Once the crack has beenresealed, the Lookshy Rebel will never rise again.

27


TOMB BEASTDescription: Since ancient times, commoner and

Exalt alike have endeavored to protect their final rest-ing places from being despoiled by their fellow man.One of the greatest obstacles to this desire is the veryvanity that causes them to want to be remembered, asthe most difficult grave to plunder would be the one thatlies forgotten. Given that many of the Exalted knewthey would be reborn and even the commoner wished tokeep her corpse inviolate, strong traditions of the sanc-tity of the dead arose, enforced by societal law and thebest protections that tomb builders could devise. Duringthe First Age, such defenses included powerful wards,intricate mechanisms, deadly spirit guardians and evenbound demons. Later generations and those who wereless fortunate than the dead of the First Age sought anymethod they could find.

One solution contrived by naturalists of theShogunate was to adapt a certain species of reptile foundupon the Southwestern island of Jade. Old writings referto the white shades, but most modern savants call thecreatures tomb beasts in reference to their current use.The tomb beast in the wild is a long-lived cave-dwellingreptile whose aggressively territorial females spend theirentire lives within the same underground chamber wheretheir egg hatched. Crafty planners realized that, com-bined with an unwillingness to eat anything other thanfresh meat, this extreme attachment to a single denmade the white-scaled females perfect for defendingcrypts from intruders. Though the black-scaled shade male is very quick, heis small, and therefore, it was

not terribly difficult for a specially trained hunter tocapture unhatched eggs as males moved them from afemales lair to a new home. Nevertheless, such a spe-cialized and expensive market was soon dominated by asingle group of experts with the skills and connectionsnecessary to harvest and sell the creatures. Nowadays,the patrician family Tasis controls virtually all of thetrade in tomb-beast eggs, from the jungle caves of Jadeto dreary Sijan to their home marketplaces in theImperial City and Nexus.

Typically, a patron pays the Tasis family to place atomb-beast egg that is ready to hatch within the burialchamber of the recently deceased. The voracious femaleinstinctively bonds with her home upon birth and,within a year, has grown to about 50 pounds and, withina few more years, is easily 200 pounds or more. Theguardian feeds predominantly upon the bounty of rats,worms and insects seeking to infest her lair, which ofcourse further protects the dead body from harm.

In the wild, the male rarely exceeds 50 pounds butmay range a territory up to 100 miles across, matingwith numerous females, caring for their eggs and, ulti-mately, finding eggs a new lair in which to hatch. Malescan smell unhatched male eggs and naturally depositthem in lairs on the edge of their territory and discour-age trespass once the egg hatches. In practice, the Tasiskeep a number of male and female tomb beasts incaptivity for breeding purposes, though they renew thestock with newly captured wild specimens when pos-sible. Typically, a tomb beast lives about 250 years

unless slain by violence, and if a male is present he islikely to fill the open lair with a new egg. Of

course, the Tasis family keeps the malesfor themselves when possible, so that

it can sell new guardians.The tomb beasts are quad-

ruped reptiles with powerfulhind legs allowing them torun mostly erect for shortdistances and strong fore-legs capable of burrowing

through earth or flesh.Most of the time, fe-

males rest in


28

near-hibernation, suddenly springing into lightning-quick movements to capture and devour insects, rats orother intruders into their lairs. Males are equally quickbut roam large territories, squeezing in and out of thevarious cavernous lairs of their mates. Either sex canreadily snatch flies from the air with their deadly talons,and slower victims such as tomb robbers are usually slainand consumed with ease. Determined despoilers of graveslearn that even terribly wounded tomb beasts will notleave their lairs and fight to the death with a dangerousdesperation and abandon. Both sexes exude strong para-lytic venom on their claws and fangs, allowing them tofeast upon incapacitated prey at will. Females jaws are sostrong they crush bones, ultimately leaving nothing ofan enemy except well-bleached spoor.Attributes: Strength 5/1, Dexterity 6, Stamina 5/2,Charisma 1, Manipulation 1, Appearance 1, Perception4, Intelligence 1/2, Wits 4Virtues: Compassion 1, Conviction 3, Temperance 1,Valor 5/3Abilities: Athletics 3/4, Awareness 5, Brawl 4/2, Dodge2/4, Endurance 3/1, Presence 1 (Intimidation +2)/0,Resistance 3/1, Stealth 1/3, Survival 0/2Supernatural Powers: Vigilance of the RavenousGuardianBase Initiative: 10Attack:Bite: Speed 9 Accuracy 10/8 Damage 6L*/2L* Defense10/8Claw: Speed 10 Accuracy 10/8 Damage 5L*/1L* De-fense 10/8* Venom Diff. 2 Success 1L Failure 3L Duration/Penalty8 hours/-6Dodge Pool: 8/10 Soak: 2L/5B//1L/2B (None)Willpower: 6 Health Levels: -0/-0/-1/-1/-1/-2/-2/-2/-4/-4/Incap /-0/-1/-2/IncapEssence: 2Other Notes: When two Traits are presented, the firstrepresents that of a female tomb beast, while the secondrating represents that of a male.

VIGILANCE OF THE RAVENOUS GUARDIANFemale tomb beasts live their entire lives in a

single cavern or small cluster of chambers, andtheir ability to gather food depends upon detectingevery potential creature of prey and being able toseize and devour it even in the dark. Upon firsthatching from the egg, a female tomb beast be-comes attached to her subterraneous environment,its signature in Creation imprinting upon her sensesdown to the magnetic fields and natural energyflow of the area. Darkness, odd smells, echoingnoises and stealthy enemies alike fail to confoundthe guardians as they spring into action with light-ning speed. As such, nothing short of Charms,sorcery or other magic can cause a female tombbeast to be surprised by an ambush, and evenpotent Charms must contest against the super-natural senses of a guardian.

Roll the tomb beasts Perception + Awarenessagainst the Charm in question, and reduce itssuccesses accordingly (do not reduce them at all inthe face of mundane stealth). If any successesremain for the tomb beast, they are added directlyto the base initiative of the tomb beast for theduration of the scene. Charms that make a charac-ter impossible to detect are difficulty 5 for the tomblizard to penetrate. The tomb beast should alwaysbe considered alert or alerted to the characterspresence. A female tomb beast may also add herPerception + Awareness die pool directly to herown attempts at stealth (for a total of 16 dice) torepresent her supernatural awareness of her ownmovements and their telltale signs.

exalted creatures of the wyld bonus material - copy

Documents

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